Bean there, done that

I made this soup for lunch yesterday for my friend Miss Sarah Burd(ie) and I. Despite a few battles with the immersion blender and the fact that my corn puree looked suspiciously like scrambled eggs, this dish was fabulous! I feel like soups can be quite a precarious endeavour- far too often are they under-seasoned, unsatisfying, or just plain boring. Lucky for me, this black bean beauty was none of these things! It is hearty, flavourful and affordable to boot. Serve it with this sweet and spicy corn puree and homemade baked tortilla chips and you've just whipped up a healthy and impressive meal on a budget. It also pairs nicely with with cold beer and good conversation... Now get cookin' my friends, what are you waiting for?

Black bean soup with sweet corn puree and homemade tortilla chips
Serves 4-6

Sweet corn puree

1/4 of a large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 tbsp oil from jarred/canned jalapenos (feel free to add the peppers for extra spice but this will detract from the jolly yellow colour of the puree)
2 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn
juice from 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the onion and garlic in the vegetable and jalapeno oil over medium heat until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the corn, lime juice and veggie broth. Bring to a boil and remove from heat to cool. Puree using either a blender or an immersion blender, there will likely still be a few chunks of corn, but hey texture adds personality.. right?

Homemade tortilla chips

6 small whole wheat tortillas
roughly 1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lime wedge

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Brush tortillas with vegetable oil. Stack and slice into eighths. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and cayenne pepper. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown and slightly soft in the middle. When done baking, squeeze fresh lime juice all over chips. Resist the urge to eat them all before serving. So good.

Hearty black bean soup

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chili flakes
juice of 1 lime
2 cups vegetable broth
1 small yukon gold potato, peeled and diced (optional, used as a thickener)
2 cans black beans, drained and lightly rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
lime wedges and sriracha hot sauce to garnish (if you can take the added heat)

In a large pot, sautee the onion, garlic and carrot over medium heat until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the next 5 ingredients and stir to combine. Pour in the veggie stock and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all the flavours have combined, about 20 minutes. Puree and garnish with a squeeze of lime.

Serve soup with a dollop of sweet corn puree, a spiral of sriracha for colour and the freshly baked tortilla chips. Yum!